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No Spoiler Alert Required

Posted by markrgreen1815 on

Encouraged by the suggested reading from our conference speakers, I have started to read (or in some cases, re-read) their recommendations in order to get the most out of their talks. I’m used to being the one in the room who knows least about the subject of Golden Age Detective Fiction but I want to have more than just a clue about what they are discussing.

So far I have read: Police At The Funeral by Margery Allingham, Green For Danger by Christianna Brand, The Hollow Man by John Dickson Carr and An Expert in Murder by Nicola Upson.

Without giving anything of the plots away (so no spoiler alert required), I have some questions I want to put to our experts at the conference about the means used in the first death of Police At The Funeral and why one of the characters does what they do in An Expert in Murder. It’s probably me missing something vital – not for the first time – but I do want to pick the brains that are cleverer than I am when I get the chance.

I did enjoy chapter 17 of The Hollow Man in which Carr’s detective Dr Fell delivers a lecture on the seven different types of “Locked Room Mystery” and how they may be distinguished. Needless to say, I shan’t be giving away into which category The Hollow Man actually falls.

I’m currently part way through Gaudy Night by Dorothy L. Sayers. This has the advantage of featuring on both B.A. Pike’s list of recommended reading for his lecture on the works of Allingham and Sayers and on Richard Reynolds’ list for his lecture on The Oxbridge Murders. So it’s killing two birds with one stone, so to speak.

For details of our speakers’ recommendations go to:

https://thebodiesfromthelibrary.wordpress.com/suggested-reading/

 

 

Suggested reading for Tony Medawar’s “Howdunnit…” talk

Posted by markrgreen1815 on

If you have ever wondered about the perfect crime – committing it, or solving it – Tony Medawar’s suggested reading for his talk at The Bodies From The Library Conference on 28th June should give you food for thought. For his full list of recommendations go to the Suggested Reading page on the conference website:

https://thebodiesfromthelibrary.wordpress.com/suggested-reading/

 

Suggested reading for The Oxbridge Murders talk

Posted by markrgreen1815 on

Richard Reynolds has suggested a list of books that you can read to get the most out of his presentation on The Oxbridge Murders. For those who want to make the best use of the time available we did notice that Margery Allingham’s Police at the Funeral and Dorothy L. Sayers’ Gaudy Night each feature not only in Richard’s list but also in the list of at least one other speaker.

For a full list of Richard’s suggestions and those of other speakers at the conference go to the Suggested Reading page of the conference website:

https://thebodiesfromthelibrary.wordpress.com/suggested-reading/

 

 

Suggested reading for Sayers/Allingham talk

Posted by markrgreen1815 on

For those of you who are looking forward to B.A. Pike’s talk at The Bodies From The Library Conference on Golden Age Detective Fiction, he has recommended some books by the two authors as pre-reading to get the most out of his presentation. You can find his recommendations on the Bodies From The Library website at: https://thebodiesfromthelibrary.wordpress.com/suggested-reading/

Suggested Reading for the Conference

Posted by markrgreen1815 on

For those of you who have bought tickets and can’t wait until June to immerse yourself in the Golden Age of Detective Fiction,  Dr John Curran, one of the leading authorities on the genre, has compiled a list of classic Golden Age novels to whet your appetite. You can find the list on the The Bodies From The Library website at https://thebodiesfromthelibrary.wordpress.com/suggested-reading/

Tickets now on sale

Posted by markrgreen1815 on

Happy New Year! To mark the start of 2015, we are very proud to announce details of a conference featuring an exciting programme of discussions, presentations and panels on the Golden Age of Detective Fiction Writers. You will be able to meet leading experts on classic detective fiction, talk with modern authors whose novels follow in the Golden Age tradition and enjoy the amazing surroundings of our prestigious venue at the British Library.

The conference will take place on 20th June 2015 and tickets are on sale now through our website.

For the full programme and information about the speakers, please visit our website.

We will be keeping the site updated regularly with news of the event and welcome your input and feedback.